<p>Does anyone have any new information on the acting programs at OCU, University of Houston, or St. Edward's University? We are wondering how many students are enrolled in the first year BFA Acting program at OCU? This is not for MT - we need to know about Acting. D has been accepted to BFA Acting at OCU, BA Theater - St. Edwards University, and is going through second round of auditions at UH. Which program is considered best?</p>
<p>I think you will find that the common wisdom is the “best” program is the one that best meets your particular needs and goals. UHouston has an MFA program as well as a BFA undergrad program, I believe is affiliated with the Alley Theatre, and is in a large TX city with all the outside resources a city. One question to ask is if BFA students are in competition with MFA students for roles, or if they have their own productions? Are BFA and MFA students integrated in classes or do they follow a separate curriculum.</p>
<p>OCU is also a BFA pro in a large city. I believe that students at OCU take a more substantial liberal arts core than the students at UofH, but look at the requirements side by side to confirm. </p>
<p>St. Edwards is a BA program, so likely the school will have more of a liberal arts approach to training.</p>
<p>All can offer strong training, the experiences will simply be different.</p>
<p>Congrats to your D! We live in Austin and my D has several friends in the theatre program at St. Edward’s. All seem happy with the training and the performance opportunities. And we have seen many wonderful shows there. Because St. Ed’s has an U/RTA contract with Actors’ Equity Association, students who successfully complete the requirements of the Membership Candidate Program are eligible to join Actors ’ Equity.</p>
<p>St. Edward’s is one of the partners in Summer Stock Austin so my D has spent a LOT of time on campus the last 2 summers as that is where they rehearse. It is a very small but very nice campus. I don’t know about numbers but I’m sure a call or email to the department will get you that information. And here’s a recent review of a production that might be of interest as it talks about the mix of Equity and students actors on stage:
[Who's</a> Afraid of Virginia Woolf: Stunning performances bring new life to classic - Austin theater | Examiner.com](<a href=“http://www.examiner.com/theater-in-austin/who-s-afraid-of-virginia-woolf-stunning-performances-bring-new-life-to-classic-review]Who’s”>http://www.examiner.com/theater-in-austin/who-s-afraid-of-virginia-woolf-stunning-performances-bring-new-life-to-classic-review)</p>
<p>As always, KatMT gives you great advice about fit. My D found it very helpful to sit in on classes as way to help determine fit, so if your D can do that I think it would be really helpful. Best of luck!</p>
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<p>How does this work, exactly? Is it unusual for a BA program to offer this?</p>
<p>Yes I believe it is unusual for a BA program to offer. From what I know, St. Edwards brings in professional actors (usually one or two) to perform in their productions. However, I do not know the specifics of the contract with Actor’s Equity Association. I have wondered whether earning Actor’s Equity earlier is good thing. Perhaps in some cases it is, but it does restrict actors to only Actor’s Equity work. D would not be able to perform in anything non-equity and from what I’ve read, there are more non-equity roles out there for younger actors.</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughtful responses KatMT and austinmtmom. They were very helpful!</p>
<p>You can read up on the EMC program here:
<a href=“http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/emc/EMC_Overview.pdf[/url]”>http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/emc/EMC_Overview.pdf</a></p>
<p>If you earn enough points, you have 5 years to join Equity after you earn them so it isn’t like you have to do it immediately. And you don’t have to earn all your points at one theatre. But there are some “caveats” in there so it good to ask questions.</p>